Russia Has Increased Troop Numbers in Ukraine by 100,000 This Year, Says Ukrainian Commander-in-Chief

Russia increased its troop count in Ukraine by an estimated 100,000 soldiers since last year, said Commander-in-Cheif of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Oleksandr Syrskyi in an interview for French media Le Monde on December 17.

“The number of Russian troops is constantly increasing. This year, by our estimates, there are an additional 100,000 Russian soldiers on Ukrainian soil,” Syrskyi stated.

He emphasized that the war has evolved to a point where it is now a confrontation not only of armed forces but also of advanced technologies.

“The war has reached such a technological level that we can speak of both a clash of technologies and a clash of armed forces,” Syrskyi noted.

“Our primary objective in defense is to inflict maximum losses on the enemy on the battlefield and to destroy their military potential deep within their territory,” he added.

Earlier, Syrskyi reported that Russian forces have significantly increased pressure on the Kramatorsk, Toretsk, and Vremivka directions while also conducting intense offensive operations in the Kursk region for the third consecutive day.